2017 ICD-10-CM Code Updates

It has been 4 years since the last major update to the ICD-10-CM code set due to a partial code freeze. For the 2017 fiscal year (effective October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017), there are now 71,486 ICD-10-CM codes and that includes 1,974 new codes, 425 revised codes and 311 deleted codes.

ICD-10-CM codes are not only used for standardizing coding of diagnoses, but also to track and record new and emerging diseases. A perfect example of this is creation of the Zika virus disease code (A92.5). Along with the creation of the code, there are specific guidelines for the use. The guidelines state to only use the code for confirmed cases of Zika, not for “suspected” or “probable” cases.

In addition to adding numerous new conditions, this update added further specificity to several existing diseases. One example is the diabetic retinopathy codes. For 2017, these codes will now include laterality, severity and classification of proliferative vs. non-proliferative (Ex. E08.3211 Diabetes mellitus due to underlying condition with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy with macular edema, right eye).

Prior to the new code set release, there was only one code for the administration of prophylactic immunizations, Z23 (Encounter for immunization). The new code set includes several more specific types of encounters such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prophylaxis (Z29.11), Rho(D) immune globulin prophylaxis (Z29.13) and rabies immune globulin prophylaxis (Z29.14).

There are also numerous updates to the fracture, pregnancy and external causes of morbidity code sets. Here at RJ Health, we reviewed all the new, revised and deleted codes and updated our HCPCS/CPT® to ICD-10-CM crosswalks to reflect these changes. These will be available on ReimbursementCodes.com for our October 1, 2016 update.

Christopher Webb

Chris focuses on creating new and innovative products using RJ Health's Drug Information Datasets. Using his experience with our clients, Chris develops our SaaS offerings to streamline work flow and the enhance the application of our data.